Oral care compositions and methods for the same

ABSTRACT

An oral care composition and methods for the same are disclosed herein. The oral care composition may include an orally acceptable vehicle, an anionic surfactant, and a nonionic surfactant. The anionic surfactant may include a C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate or a salt thereof, and the nonionic surfactant may include a C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside. A weight ratio of the nonionic surfactant to the anionic surfactant may be from about 0.25:1 to about 9:1, or from about 1.8:1 to about 2.2:1.

BACKGROUND

Dentin or dentinal hypersensitivity is a common clinical conditionassociated with exposed dentin surfaces of the teeth. Dentin contains alarge number of pores or dentin tubules that extend from outer surfacesof the teeth to the nerves within the teeth. As such, exposure of thedentin often leads to increased sensitivity of the teeth to externalstimuli (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.). In view of the foregoing,conventional oral care products or compositions thereof may oftenattempt to numb the nerve or incorporate filling or blocking agents toameliorate the sensitivity of the teeth. For example, conventional oralcare compositions, such as Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief®, often includearginine and calcium carbonate as blocking agents to occlude the dentinand reduce sensitivity.

While conventional oral care compositions have proven to be effective inreducing sensitivity, the active ingredients (e.g., arginine, calciumcarbonate, etc.) may often react with one or more foaming agents of theoral care compositions to thereby reduce the ability of the oral carecompositions to generate foam. For example, conventional oral carecompositions primarily utilize anionic surfactants, such as sodiumlauryl sulfate, as the primary foaming agent. The anionic surfactants,however, react with the cationically charged arginine and the calciumcations provided by the calcium carbonate to produce insoluble salts,thereby reducing the availability of the foaming agent and the foamingcapacity thereof. Further, consumer studies and surveys have shown thatthere is a desire to use oral care compositions that do not contain anysodium lauryl sulfate, as some consumers experience relatively greatersensitivity to this ingredient.

What is needed, then, are improved desensitizing oral care compositionsand methods for the same.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This summary is intended merely to introduce a simplified summary ofsome aspects of one or more implementations of the present disclosure.Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. Thissummary is not an extensive overview, nor is it intended to identify keyor critical elements of the present teachings, nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure. Rather, its purpose is merely to present one ormore concepts in simplified form as a prelude to the detaileddescription below.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities embodied in the presentdisclosure may be achieved by providing an oral care compositionincluding an orally acceptable vehicle, an anionic surfactant, and anonionic surfactant. The anionic surfactant may include a C6-C18 fattyacid glutamate or a salt thereof. The nonionic surfactant may include aC6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside. In at least one example, a weight ratio ofthe nonionic surfactant to the anionic surfactant may be from about0.25:1 to about 9:1. In another example, the weight ratio of thenonionic surfactant to the anionic surfactant may be from about 1.8:1 toabout 2.2:1.

In at least one implementation, the C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate or thesalt thereof may include a cocoyl glutamate salt. In at least oneexample, the cocoyl glutamate salt is a sodium cocoyl glutamate.

In at least one implementation, the C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside mayinclude a short chain alkyl polyglucoside. In at least one example, theshort chain alkyl polyglucoside may include a C6-C10 alkylpolyglucoside.

In at least one implementation, the C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside mayinclude a long chain alkyl polyglucoside. In at least one example, thelong chain alkyl polyglucoside may include a C11-C18 alkylpolyglucoside.

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may furtherinclude an amino acid. In at least one example, the amino acid mayinclude one or more of arginine, lysine, citrulline, ornithine,creatine, histidine, diaminobutanoic acid, diaminoproprionic acid, saltsthereof, or combinations thereof. In at least one example, the aminoacid may include arginine. The arginine may be provided by argininebicarbonate. The arginine may also be provided by an argininebicarbonate solution.

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may furtherinclude an abrasive. The abrasive may include one or more of sodiummetaphosphate, potassium metaphosphate, calcium pyrophosphate, magnesiumorthophosphate, trimagnesium orthophosphate, tricalcium phosphate,dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, anhydrous dicalcium phosphate, calciumcarbonate, magnesium carbonate, hydrated alumina, silica, zirconiumsilicate, aluminum silicate, calcined aluminum silicate, polymethylmethacrylate, or combinations thereof. In one example, the abrasive mayinclude calcium carbonate. In another example, the calcium carbonate mayinclude natural calcium carbonate or precipitated calcium carbonate.

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may be free orsubstantially free of alkyl sulfate salts. In one example, the oral carecomposition may be free or substantially free of sodium lauryl sulfate.

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may be atoothpaste.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities embodied in the presentdisclosure may be achieved by providing a method for preparing any oneor more of the oral care composition disclosed herein. The method mayinclude contacting the orally acceptable vehicle, the anionicsurfactant, and the nonionic surfactant with one another.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities embodied in the presentdisclosure may be achieved by providing a method for treating dentinalhypersensitivity in a human. The method may include contacting any oneor more of the oral care composition disclosed herein with surfaces ofteeth of the human.

In at least one implementation, the method may include contacting theoral care composition with surfaces of the teeth of the human at leastonce a day, optionally, twice a day.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating some typical aspects of the disclosure, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of various typical aspect(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure,its application, or uses.

As used throughout this disclosure, ranges are used as shorthand fordescribing each and every value that is within the range. It should beappreciated and understood that the description in a range format ismerely for convenience and brevity, and should not be construed as aninflexible limitation on the scope of any embodiments or implementationsdisclosed herein. Accordingly, the disclosed range should be construedto have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well asindividual numerical values within that range. As such, any value withinthe range may be selected as the terminus of the range. For example,description of a range such as from 1 to 5 should be considered to havespecifically disclosed subranges such as from 1.5 to 3, from 1 to 4.5,from 2 to 5, from 3.1 to 5, etc., as well as individual numbers withinthat range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 3.2, 4, 5, etc. This appliesregardless of the breadth of the range.

Unless otherwise specified, all percentages and amounts expressed hereinand elsewhere in the specification should be understood to refer topercentages by weight. The amounts given are based on the active weightof the material.

Additionally, all numerical values are “about” or “approximately” theindicated value, and take into account experimental error and variationsthat would be expected by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Itshould be appreciated that all numerical values and ranges disclosedherein are approximate values and ranges, whether “about” is used inconjunction therewith. It should also be appreciated that the term“about,” as used herein, in conjunction with a numeral refers to a valuethat may be ±0.01% (inclusive), ±0.1% (inclusive), ±0.5% (inclusive),±1% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±2% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±3%(inclusive) of that numeral, ±5% (inclusive) of that numeral, ±10%(inclusive) of that numeral, or ±15% (inclusive) of that numeral. Itshould further be appreciated that when a numerical range is disclosedherein, any numerical value falling within the range is alsospecifically disclosed.

As used herein, “free” or “substantially free” of a material may referto a composition, component, or phase where the material is present inan amount of less than 10.0 weight %, less than 5.0 weight %, less than3.0 weight %, less than 1.0 weight %, less than 0.1 weight %, less than0.05 weight %, less than 0.01 weight %, less than 0.005 weight %, orless than 0.0001 weight % based on a total weight of the composition,component, or phase.

All references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in thepresent disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosurecontrols.

The present inventors have surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered thatoral care compositions including the combination of a glutamatesurfactant, particularly, sodium cocoyl glutamate, and an alkylpolyglucoside surfactant exhibit synergistic or more than additivefoaming as compared to each of the surfactants alone. Without beingbound by theory, it is believed that the nonionic structure of theglucoside surfactant and the negatively charged structure of theglutamate surfactant may contribute to the synergistic results.Particularly, it is believed that the nonionic structure of theglucoside surfactant and the negatively charged structure of theglutamate surfactant prevents interactions between them, therebyincreasing the foaming in the toothpaste formulation.

The present inventors have also surprisingly and unexpectedly discoveredthat relatively greater amounts of the nonionic polyglucoside surfactantto the anionic glutamate surfactant surprisingly and unexpectedlyproduced more foam as compared to toothpaste compositions includingrelatively greater amounts of the anionic glutamate surfactant.Accordingly, it was surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered thatincreased amounts or ratios of the nonionic surfactant relative to theanionic surfactant provided improved foaming.

Compositions

Compositions disclosed herein may be or include an oral care product oran oral care composition thereof. For example, the compositionsdisclosed herein may be an oral care product including an oral carecomposition or the oral care composition thereof. In at least oneimplementation, the compositions disclosed herein may be or include oralcare compositions including an orally acceptable vehicle or carrier andone or more surfactants or foaming agents capable of or configured toprovide relatively greater foam production as compared to conventionaloral care compositions. For example, compositions disclosed herein maybe or include oral care compositions, such as toothpaste compositionsfor sensitive teeth, that include an orally acceptable vehicle orcarrier and one or more surfactants capable of or configured to providerelatively greater foam production as compared to conventional oral carecompositions, which utilize conventional cationically chargedsurfactants, such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). As further describedherein, the one or more surfactants may include an anionic surfactantand a nonionic surfactant, where the anionic surfactant may be orinclude a C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate or a salt thereof, and where thenonionic surfactant may be or include a C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside, andwhere a weight ratio of the nonionic surfactant to the anionicsurfactant is from about 0.25:1 to about 9:1. In another implementation,the oral care composition may include an orally acceptable vehicle orcarrier, the anionic surfactant, the nonionic surfactant, one or moreamino acids (e.g., arginine), and one or more abrasives (e.g., calciumcarbonate).

Illustrative oral care products or compositions of the presentdisclosure may be or include, but are not limited to, a toothpaste(dentifrice), a prophylactic paste, a tooth powder, or a tooth gel(e.g., a whitening gel). In an exemplary implementation, the oral carecomposition disclosed herein may be a dentifrice or toothpaste. Forexample, the oral care composition disclosed herein may be a toothpastefor treating teeth sensitivity or dentinal hypersensitivity.

The oral care product or the oral care composition thereof may be asingle phase oral care product or a single phase oral care composition.For example, all the components of the oral care product or the oralcare composition thereof may be maintained together with one another ina single phase and/or vessel. For example, all the components of theoral care product or the oral care composition thereof may be maintainedin a single phase, such as a single homogenous phase. In anotherimplementation, the oral care product or the oral care compositionthereof may be a multi-phase oral care product or a multi-phase oralcare composition.

The oral care product or the oral care composition thereof prior to usemay have a “low water content”. As used herein, “low water content” mayrefer to a composition that contains water in an amount greater thanabout 5 weight % and less than about 15 weight %, less than about 13weight %, less than about 10 weight %, or less than about 7 weight %,based on a total weight of the oral care composition. In anotherimplementation, the oral care product or the oral care compositionthereof prior to use may be an anhydrous formulation or an anhydrouscomposition. For example, the oral care composition prior to use may beanhydrous, free, or substantially free of water. As used herein, “freeof water” or “substantially free of water” may refer to a compositionthat contains water in an amount of less than 5.0 weight %, less than3.0 weight %, less than 1.0 weight %, less than 0.1 weight %, less than0.05 weight %, less than 0.01 weight %, less than 0.005 weight %, orless than 0.0001 weight %, based on the total weight of the oral carecomposition.

Amino Acid

The oral care composition may include one or more amino acids. The oneor more amino acids of the oral care composition may be in free or saltform. Illustrative amino acids that may be utilized in the oral carecomposition may include, but are not limited to, arginine, lysine,citrulline, ornithine, creatine, histidine, diaminobutanoic acid,diaminoproprionic acid, salts thereof and/or combinations thereof. Theamino acids of the oral care composition may generally be present in theL-form or L-configuration. The amino acids may be provided as a salt ofa di- or tri-peptide including the amino acid. In at least oneimplementation, at least a portion of the amino acid present in the oralcare composition is in the salt form. In a preferred implementation, theoral care composition includes at least arginine (e.g., L-arginine) or asource of arginine. The arginine may be provided as free arginine or asalt thereof. For example, the arginine may be provided as argininephosphate, arginine hydrochloride, arginine sulfate, argininebicarbonate, or the like, and mixtures or combinations thereof. The oneor more amino acids may be provided as a solution or a solid. Forexample, the one or more amino acids may be provided as an aqueoussolution. In a preferred implementation, the one or more amino acidsinclude or is provided by an arginine bicarbonate solution.

The amount or concentration of the one or more amino acids present inthe oral care composition may vary widely. In at least oneimplementation, the amount or concentration of the one or more aminoacids may be from greater than 0 weight % to about 20 weight %, based onthe total weight of the oral care composition. For example, the amountof one or more amino acids present in the oral care composition may befrom greater than 0 weight %, about 2 weight %, about 4 weight %, about6 weight %, about 8 weight %, or about 10 weight % to about 12 weight %,about 14 weight %, about 16 weight %, about 18 weight %, or about 20weight %, based on the total weight of the oral care composition. Inanother example, the amount of one or more amino acids present in theoral care composition may be from greater than 0 weight % to about 20weight %, about 4 weight % to about 12 weight %, about 6 weight % toabout 10 weight %, or about 8 weight %, based on the total weight of theoral care composition. In a preferred embodiment, the oral carecomposition includes from about 6 weight % to about 10 weight % or about8 weight %, based on a total weight of the oral care composition, andthe amino acid may be provided by a solution. For example, the aminoacid may be provided by an about 40% solution of the one or more aminoacids, such as arginine.

Abrasive or Abrasive System

The oral care compositions may include one or more abrasives or anabrasive system including one or more abrasives. As used herein, theterm “abrasive” may also refer to materials commonly referred to as“polishing agents”. Any orally acceptable abrasive may be used, butpreferably, type, fineness (particle size), and amount of the abrasivemay be selected such that the tooth enamel is not excessively abraded innormal use of the oral care composition.

The one or more abrasives may have a particle size or D50 of less thanor equal to about 10 μm, less than or equal to about 8 μm, less than orequal to about 5 μm, or less than or equal to about 3 μm. The one ormore abrasives may have a particle size or D50 of greater than or equalto about 0.01 μm, greater than or equal to about 0.05 μm, greater thanor equal to about 0.1 μm, greater than or equal to about 0.5 μm, orgreater than or equal to about 1 μm. Illustrative abrasives may include,but are not limited to, metaphosphate compounds, phosphate salts (e.g.,insoluble phosphate salts), such as sodium metaphosphate, potassiummetaphosphate, calcium pyrophosphate, magnesium orthophosphate,trimagnesium orthophosphate, tricalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphatedihydrate, anhydrous dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate (e.g.,precipitated calcium carbonate and/or natural calcium carbonate),magnesium carbonate, hydrated alumina, silica, zirconium silicate,aluminum silicate including calcined aluminum silicate, polymethylmethacrylate, or the like, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

In a preferred implementation, the oral care composition includes atleast calcium carbonate as an abrasive. In at least one implementation,precipitated calcium carbonate may be preferred over natural calciumcarbonate. While not intending to be bound by theory, it is believedthat natural calcium carbonate has relatively greater crystallinity or arelatively more crystalline structure as compared to precipitatedcalcium carbonate, thereby making the calcium carbonate very hard.Conversely, precipitated calcium carbonate is relatively more amorphousand more friable or easily crumbled. As such, the precipitated calciumcarbonate has a relatively lower abrasivity as compared to the naturalcalcium carbonate, while maintaining adequate cleaning power.

The one or more of the abrasives in the abrasive system may have apellicle cleaning ratio (PCR) greater than or equal to 80, greater thanor equal to 82, greater than or equal to 84, greater than or equal to86, greater than or equal to 88, greater than or equal to 90, greaterthan or equal to 92, greater than or equal to 94, greater than or equalto 96, greater than or equal to 98, greater than or equal to 100,greater than or equal to 102, greater than or equal to 104, greater thanor equal to 106, greater than or equal to 108, greater than or equal to110, greater than or equal to 112, or greater.

The amount or concentration of the one or more abrasives present in theoral care composition may vary widely. In at least one implementation,the amount or concentration of the abrasives may be from greater than 0weight % to about 60 weight %, based on a total weight of the oral carecomposition. For example, the amount of the abrasives present in theoral care composition may be from greater than 0 weight %, about 2weight %, about 4 weight %, about 6 weight %, about 8 weight %, about 10weight %, about 12 weight %, about 14 weight %, about 16 weight %, about18 weight %, or about 19 weight % to about 21 weight %, about 22 weight%, about 24 weight %, about 26 weight %, about 28 weight %, about 30weight %, about 32 weight %, about 34 weight %, about 36 weight %, about38 weight %, or about 40 weight %. In another example, the amount of theabrasives present in the oral care composition may be from greater than0 weight % to about 40 weight %, about 2 weight % to about 38 weight %,about 4 weight % to about 36 weight %, about 6 weight % to about 34weight %, about 8 weight % to about 32 weight %, about 10 weight % toabout 30 weight %, about 12 weight % to about 28 weight %, about 14weight % to about 26 weight %, about 16 weight % to about 24 weight %,about 18 weight % to about 22 weight %, or about 19 weight % to about 21weight %. In a preferred implementation, the amount of the abrasivespresent in the oral care composition may be from about 25 weight % toabout 45 weight %, preferably about 30 weight % to about 40 weight %, ormore preferably about 35 weight %, based on a total weight of the oralcare composition.

Surfactant(s) or Foaming System

The oral care composition may include one or more surfactants or foamingagents capable of or configured to provide relatively greater foamproduction as compared to conventional oral care compositions. The oneor more surfactants or foaming agents may be or include, but are notlimited to, one or more amino acid-based surfactants, one or moreanionic surfactants, one or more cationic surfactants, one or morezwitterionic surfactants, one or more nonionic surfactants, orcombinations and mixtures thereof.

Illustrative amino acid surfactants may be or include glutamatesurfactants, alanine surfactants, aspartate surfactants, or the like, orany mixture or combination thereof. Illustrative glutamate surfactantsmay be represented by formula (1):

where R₁ may be a saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched alkylchain with 6 to 18 carbon atoms, and more preferably 8 to 14 carbonatoms, and M⁺ may be independent from each other H, sodium or potassium.Illustrative glutamate surfactants may be or include, but are notlimited to, dipotassium capryloyl glutamate, dipotassium undecylenoylglutamate, disodium capryloyl glutamate, disodium cocoyl glutamate,disodium lauroyl glutamate, disodium stearoyl glutamate, disodiumundecylenoyl glutamate, potassium capryloyl glutamate, potassium cocoylglutamate, potassium lauroyl glutamate, potassium myristoyl glutamate,potassium stearoyl glutamate, potassium undecylenoyl glutamate, sodiumcapryloyl glutamate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauroyl glutamate,sodium myristoyl glutamate, sodium olivoyl glutamate, sodium palmitoylglutamate, sodium stearoyl glutamate, and sodium undecylenoyl glutamateand mixtures thereof. Preferred are disodium capryloyl glutamate,disodium cocoyl glutamate, disodium lauroyl glutamate, potassiumcapryloyl glutamate, potassium cocoyl glutamate, potassium lauroylglutamate, potassium myristoyl glutamate, sodium capryloyl glutamate,sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauroyl glutamate, and sodium myristoylglutamate and mixtures thereof. More preferred are disodium capryloylglutamate, disodium cocoyl glutamate, disodium lauroyl glutamate,potassium capryloyl glutamate, potassium cocoyl glutamate, potassiumlauroyl glutamate, sodium capryloyl glutamate, sodium cocoyl glutamate,sodium lauroyl glutamate, or the like, or combinations or mixturesthereof. In at least one implementation, the anionic surfactant may beor include one or more C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate salts or amino acidsurfactants, such as a cocoyl glutamate salt, particularly sodium cocoylglutamate.

Illustrative anionic surfactants may be or include, but are not limitedto, one or more C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate salts, water-soluble saltsof C8-20 alkyl sulfates, sulfonated monoglycerides of C8-20 fatty acids,sarcosinates, taurates, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cocoylmonoglyceride sulfonate, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, sodium laurylisoethionate, sodium laureth carboxylate, sodium lauroyl methyl taurate,sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate, water-soluble salts of higher fattyacid monoglyceride monosulfates, such as the sodium salt of themonosulfated monoglyceride of hydrogenated coconut oil fatty acids suchas a sodium N-methyl-N-alkyl taurate, sodium N-methyl-N-cocoyl taurateor sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, sodium cocoyl methyl taurate, sodiumlauroyl methyl taurate, sodium cocomo-glyceride sulfate; higher alkylsulfates, such as sodium lauryl sulfate; higher alkyl-ether sulfates,e.g., of formula CH₃(CH₂)_(m)CH₂(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)OSO₃X, wherein m is 6-16,e.g., 10, n is 1-6, e.g. 2, 3 or 4, and X is Na, for example sodiumlaureth-2 sulfate (CH₃(CH₂)₁₀CH₂(OCH₂CH₂)₂OSO₃Na); higher alkyl arylsulfonates such as sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (sodium laurylbenzene sulfonate); higher alkyl sulfoacetates, such as sodium laurylsulfoacetate (dodecyl sodium sulfoacetate), higher fatty acid esters of1,2 dihydroxy propane sulfonate, sulfocolaurate (N-2-ethyl lauratepotassium sulfoacetamide), sodium lauryl sarcosinate, or the like, orany mixture or combination thereof. As used herein, “higher alkyl” mayrefer to a C₆-C₃₀ alkyl. In at least one implementation, the anionicsurfactant may include one or more C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate salts oramino acid surfactants, such as a cocoyl glutamate salt, particularlysodium cocoyl glutamate.

In at least one implementation, anionic surfactants utilized in the oralcare composition does not include one or more alkyl sulfate salts, suchas sodium lauryl sulfate. For example, as further described herein, theoral care composition may be free or substantially free of alkyl sulfatesalts, such as sodium lauryl sulfate. As used herein, “free” or“substantially free” of a material may refer to a composition,component, or phase where the material is present in an amount of lessthan 10.0 weight %, less than 5.0 weight %, less than 3.0 weight %, lessthan 1.0 weight %, less than 0.1 weight %, less than 0.05 weight %, lessthan 0.01 weight %, less than 0.005 weight %, or less than 0.0001 weight% based on a total weight of the composition, component, or phase.

The amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants may be or include, but arenot limited to, derivatives of C₈₋₂₀ aliphatic secondary and tertiaryamines having an anionic group such as carboxylate, sulfate, sulfonate,phosphate or phosphonate. Illustrative amphoteric and zwitterionicsurfactants may include, but are not limited to, sultaines and betaines,such as cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), derivatives of aliphaticsecondary and tertiary amines in which the aliphatic radical can be astraight or branched chain and wherein one of the aliphatic substituentscontains about 8-18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionicwater-solubilizing group, such as carboxylate, sulfonate, sulfate,phosphate or phosphonate, or the like, and combinations thereof.

In an exemplary implementation, illustrative nonionic surfactants may beor include, but are not limited to, one or more alkyl polyglucosides,such as one or more C6-C18 alkyl polyglucosides, or the like. The C6-C18alkyl polyglucosides may include one or more short chain alkylpolyglucosides, one or more long chain alkyl polyglucosides, or anycombination thereof. As used herein, the term or expression “short chainalkyl polyglucosides” may refer to alkyl polyglucosides having a chainlength of from about 6 to about 10 carbon atoms. As used herein, theterm or expression “long chain alkyl polyglucosides” may refer to alkylpolyglucosides having a chain length of from about 11 to about 18 carbonatoms. It should be appreciated that the alkyl polyglucosides mayinclude a hydrophobic fatty alcohol portion and a hydrophilic glucosideportion. In a preferred implementation, the nonionic surfactants includeat least a short chain alkyl polyglucoside, such as a C6-C10 alkylpolyglucoside or a C8-C10 alkyl polyglucoside (CAS 68515-73-1), which iscommercially available as APG 810. In at least one implementation, theoral care composition is free or substantially free of long chain alkylpolyglucosides.

Additional illustrative nonionic surfactants may be or include, but arenot limited to, one or more of octoxynol (e.g., Macrogoltetramethylbutylphenyl ether, octylphenoxy polyethoxyethanol, orpolyoxyethylene octylphenyl ether), such as octoxynol 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10,12, 13, 16, 30, 40, 70, wherein the number indicates the number ofrepeating oxyethylene units, or other octoxynols that include differentnumbers of repeating units of oxyethylene in the side chain, sorbitanesters (e.g., sorbitan monooleate and sorbitan monostearate, etc.)commonly known by their trade names SPAN® 80 and SPAN® 60), polysorbates(e.g., polysorbate 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate), polysorbate60 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate), polysorbate 20(polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate), commonly known by their tradenames of TWEEN® 80, TWEEN® 60, Tween® 20), poloxamers (synthetic blockpolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, such as those commonlyknown by their trade names of PLURONIC®; e.g., PLURONIC® F127 orPLURONIC® F108), or poloxamines (synthetic block polymers of ethyleneoxide and propylene oxide attached to ethylene diamine, such as thosecommonly known by their trade names of TETRONIC®; e.g., TETRONIC® 1508or TETRONIC® 908, etc.), other nonionic surfactants such as BRIJ®(polyoxyethylene alkyl ether having a formula ofCH₃—(CH₂)₁₀₋₁₆—(O—C₂H₄)₁₋₂₅—OH), MYRJ® (stearic acid esterified withpolyoxyethylene having 40-100 repeating oxyethylene units), long chainfatty alcohols (e.g., oleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol,docosahexaenoyl alcohol, etc.) with carbon chains having about 12 ormore carbon atoms (e.g., such as from about 12 to about 24 carbonatoms), or the like, or any mixture or combination thereof. Additionalnonionic surfactants may be or include, but are not limited to,polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenols, products derived fromthe condensation of ethylene oxide with the reaction product ofpropylene oxide and ethylenediamine, ethylene oxide condensates ofaliphatic alcohols, long chain tertiary amine oxides, long chaintertiary phosphine oxides, long chain dialkyl sulfoxides, or the like,or combinations thereof. In at least one implementation, the nonionicsurfactants may be broadly defined as compounds produced by thecondensation of alkylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with anorganic hydrophobic compound, which may be aliphatic or alkylaromatic innature.

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may be free orsubstantially free of one or more surfactants capable of or configuredto react with one or more cationic or cationically chargedingredients/components of the oral care composition to form insolublesalts. For example, the oral care composition may be free orsubstantially free of one or more surfactants capable of or configuredto react with one or more cationic or cationically charged amino acids,such as arginine. In another implementation, the oral care compositionmay be free or substantially free of one or more surfactants capable ofor configured to react with one or more cations provided or released byone or more ingredients/components of the oral care composition. Forexample, the oral care composition may be free or substantially free ofone or more surfactants capable of or configured to react with one ormore cations provided by one or more salts (e.g., inorganic salts)contained therein. For example, the oral care composition may be free orsubstantially free of one or more surfactants capable of or configuredto react with one or more calcium ions provided by one or more abrasivesof the oral care composition, such as calcium carbonate, or the like.

As discussed above, in at least one exemplary implementation, the oralcare composition may be free or substantially free of sodium laurylsulfate or similar anionic surfactants. It should be appreciated thatsodium lauryl sulfate and/or anionic surfactants similar thereto may atleast partially react with cationically charged species, such aspartially cationically charged arginine and/or cations, such as calciumions from calcium carbonate, to form inorganic salts. It should furtherbe appreciated that the reaction of sodium lauryl sulfate and/or anionicsurfactants similar thereto may reduce the availability and/or foamingcapacity of the sodium lauryl sulfate and/or anionic surfactants similarthereto; and thus, reduce the foaming of the oral care composition. Assuch, in at least one exemplary implementation, the oral carecomposition may be free or substantially free of sodium lauryl sulfateor similar anionic surfactants.

The amount of any one or more of the surfactants or foaming agentspresent in the oral care composition or a component (e.g., hydrophilicor hydrophobic phases) thereof may vary widely. In at least oneimplementation, the amount of any one or more of the surfactants orfoaming agents present in the oral care composition or the componentthereof may be greater than 0.0 weight % or 0.1 weight % and less thanor equal to 10.0 weight %, based on a total weight of the oral carecomposition or the component thereof. For example, the amount of any oneor more of the surfactants or foaming agents present in the oral carecomposition or the component thereof may be from greater than 0 weight%, about 0.1 weight %, about 0.5 weight %, about 1 weight %, about 1.5weight %, about 2 weight %, or about 2.5 weight % to about 3 weight %,about 3.5 weight %, about 4 weight %, about 4.5 weight %, about 5 weight%, about 8 weight %, or about 10 weight %, based on a total weight ofthe oral care composition or the component thereof. In another example,the amount of the surfactant present in the oral care composition or thecomponent thereof may be from about 0.5 weight % to about 5 weight %,about 1 weight % to about 4.5 weight %, about 1.5 weight % to about 4weight %, about 2 weight % to about 3.5 weight %, or about 2.5 weight %to about 3 weight %, based on a total weight of the oral carecomposition or the component thereof. In an exemplary implementation,each of the one or more of the surfactants or foaming agents may,separately and independently, be present in the oral care composition orthe component thereof in an amount of from about 0.01 weight % to about3 weight %, about 1 weight % to about 2 weight %, about 1.25 weight % toabout 1.75 weight %, about 1.5 weight %, about 1 weight %, or about 0.5weight %, based on a total weight of the oral care composition.

In at least one implementation, a weight ratio (e.g., weight %) of onesurfactant to another surfactant may vary from about 0.5:1 to about 9:1.For example, the weight ratio of any one surfactant to anothersurfactant in the oral care composition may be from about 0.5:1, about0.6:1, about 0.7:1, about 0.8:1, about 0.9:1, about 1:1, about 1.1:1,about 1.2:1, about 1.3:1, about 1.4:1, about 1.5:1, about 1.6:1, about1.7:1, about 1.8:1, about 1.9:1, or about 2:1 to about 2.1:1, about2.2:1, about 2.3:1, about 2.4:1, about 2.5:1, about 2.6:1, about 2.7:1,about 2.8:1, about 2.9:1, about 3:1, about 5:1, about 8:1, or about 9:1.In an exemplary implementation the weight ratio of at least onesurfactant to another surfactant may be from about 0.5:1 to about 9:1,about 0.5:1 to about 3:1, about 1.5:1 to about 2.5:1, about 1.8:1 toabout 2.2:1, or about 2:1.

In a preferred implementation, the oral care composition includes acombination of at least two surfactants. In at least one example, the atleast two surfactants may include an anionic surfactant and a nonionicsurfactant. In another example, the at least two surfactants may includean amino acid surfactant and a nonionic surfactant. The anionicsurfactant may be or include, but is not limited to, a C6-C18 fatty acidglutamate salt or amino acid surfactants, such as a cocoyl glutamatesalt, particularly sodium cocoyl glutamate. The nonionic surfactant maybe or include, but is not limited to, one or more alkyl polyglucosides,such as one or more C6-C18 alkyl polyglucosides. In a preferredimplementation, the oral care composition includes a C6-C18 fatty acidglutamate salt, such as sodium cocoyl glutamate, and a C8-C10 alkylpolyglucoside. The weight ratio (e.g., weight %) of the C8-C10 alkylpolyglucoside to the C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate salt may be from about0.25:1 to about 9:1, about 1.5:1 to about 2.5:1, about 1.8:1 to about2.2:1, or about 2:1.

Fluoride Ion Source

In at least one implementation, the oral care composition may be free orsubstantially free of fluoride (e.g., soluble fluoride salts). Inanother implementation, the oral care composition may include fluoride,such as one or more fluoride ion sources (e.g., soluble fluoride salts).A wide variety of fluoride ion-yielding materials may be employed assources of soluble fluoride. Examples of suitable fluoride ion-yieldingmaterials may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,535,421 to Briner et al., U.S.Pat. No. 4,885,155 to Parran, Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,154 toWidder et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference. Illustrative fluoride ion sources include, but are notlimited to, fluoride, stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride, potassiumfluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, fluorosilicate salts, such assodium fluorosilicate and ammonium fluorosilicate, amine fluoride,ammonium fluoride, and combinations thereof. In a typicalimplementation, the fluoride ion source includes sodiummonofluorophosphate. The amount of the fluoride ion source in the oralcare composition may be greater than 0 weight % and less than 0.8 wt %,less than 0.7 wt %, less than 0.6 wt %, less than 0.5 wt %, or less than0.4 wt %. The fluoride ion sources may be present in an amountsufficient to provide a total of about 100 to about 20,000 ppm, about200 to about 5,000 ppm, or about 500 to about 2,500 ppm fluoride ions.

Orally Acceptable Vehicle Or Carrier

The oral care composition may form at least a portion of or be used inone or more oral care products. The oral care composition may include orbe combined with an orally acceptable vehicle. For example, the oralcare composition may include or be combined with an orally acceptablevehicle to form the oral care product. The orally acceptable vehicle mayinclude any known ingredients or additives. The orally acceptablevehicle may include various dentifrice ingredients to adjust therheology and feel of the oral care composition.

In at least one implementation, the orally acceptable vehicle mayinclude one or more humectants. Illustrative humectants may be orinclude, but are not limited to, glycerin, propylene glycol,polyethylene glycol, sorbitol, xylitol, or the like, or any mixture orcombination thereof. In a preferred implementation, the orallyacceptable vehicle may be or include, but is not limited to, sorbitol.The one or more humectants may be present in the oral care compositionin an amount of from about 5 weight % to about 35 weight %, based on atotal weight of the oral care composition.

In at least one implementation, the orally acceptable vehicle mayinclude an orally acceptable solvent. Illustrative solvents may include,but are not limited to, one or more of ethanol, phenoxyethanol,isopropanol, water, cyclohexane, methyl glycol acetate, benzyl alcohol,or the like, or any mixture or combination thereof. In a preferredimplementation, the orally acceptable solvent includes benzyl alcohol.

The orally acceptable vehicle may be present in an amount of from 5weight % to about 60 weight %, based on a total weight of the oral carecomposition. For example, the orally acceptable vehicle may be presentin an amount of from about 5 weight %, about 10 weight %, about 15weight %, or about 20 weight % to about 25 weight %, about 30 weight %,about 35 weight %, about 40 weight %, about 45 weight %, about 50 weight%, about 55 weight %, or about 60 weight %. In another example, theorally acceptable vehicle may be present in an amount of from about 5weight % to about 60 weight %, about 10 weight % to about 55 weight %,about 15 weight % to about 50 weight %, about 20 weight % to about 25weight %, about 20 weight % to about 40 weight %, about 20 weight % toabout 35 weight %, about 20 weight % to about 30 weight %, or about 20weight % to about 25 weight %. In an exemplary implementation, theorally acceptable vehicle may be present in an amount of about 20 weight% to about 30 weight %, preferably about 20 weight % to about 25 weight%, and more preferably about 22 weight % to about 25 weight %. In apreferred implementation, the orally acceptable vehicle may be presentin an amount of about 22 weight % to about 25 weight % or about 23weight %.

Thickening System and/or Viscosity Control Agents

The oral care product or the oral care composition thereof may include athickening system having one or more thickeners. The one or morethickeners may be any orally acceptable thickener or thickening agentconfigured to control the viscosity of the oral care product or the oralcare composition thereof. Illustrative thickeners may be or include, butare not limited to, colloidal silica, fumed silica, a cross-linkedpolyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP), or the like, or mixtures or combinations thereof. In at least oneimplementation, the thickening system includes a cross-linkedpolyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer. The thickening system may alsoinclude POLYPLASDONE® XL 10F, which is commercially available fromAshland Inc. of Covington, Ky. Illustrative thickeners may also be orinclude, but are not limited to, carbomers (e.g., carboxyvinylpolymers), carrageenans (e.g., Irish moss, carrageenan,iota-carrageenan, etc.), high molecular weight polyethylene glycols(e.g., CARBOWAX®, which is commercially available from The Dow ChemicalCompany of Midland, Mich.), cellulosic polymers, hydroxyethylcellulose,carboxymethylcellulose, and salts thereof (e.g., CMC sodium), naturalgums (e.g., karaya, xanthan, gum arabic, and tragacanth), colloidalmagnesium aluminum silicate, or the like, or mixtures or combinationsthereof.

In a more typical implementation, the thickening system may include anorganic polymer, which may also be configured as an adhesion enhancingagent. Illustrative organic polymers may be or include, but are notlimited to, hydrophilic polymers, such as carbomers, such ascarboxymethylene polymers, such as acrylic acid polymers, and acrylicacid copolymers. Carboxypolymethylene is a slightly acidic vinyl polymerwith active carboxyl groups. In a typical embodiment, the thickeningsystem includes a carboxypolymethylene, such as CARBOPOL® 974 and/or980, which are commercially available from Noveon, Inc. of Cleveland,Ohio.

In at least one implementation, the thickening system may include asingle thickener. For example, the thickening system may include thecross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer or an organic polymer(e.g., CARBOPOL®). In another implementation, the thickening system mayinclude a plurality of thickeners. For example, the thickening systemmay include the cross-linked PVP polymer and the organic polymer.

The amount or concentration of the thickening system and/or thethickeners thereof present in the oral care composition may vary widely.The amount of the thickening system and/or the thickeners thereofpresent in the oral care composition may from about 1.0 weight % toabout 3.0 weight % based on the total weight of the oral carecomposition. For example, the amount of the thickening system and/or thethickeners thereof present in the oral care composition may be fromabout 1 weight %, about 1.1 weight %, about 1.2 weight %, about 1.3weight %, about 1.4 weight %, about 1.5 weight %, about 1.6 weight %,about 1.7 weight %, about 1.8 weight %, about 1.9 weight %, about 2.0weight %, or about 2.1 weight % to about 2.2 weight %, about 2.3 weight%, about 2.4 weight %, about 2.5 weight %, about 2.6 weight %, about 2.7weight %, about 2.8 weight %, about 2.9 weight %, or about 3.0 weight %.In another example, the amount of the thickening system and/or thethickeners thereof present in the oral care composition may from about1.2 weight % to about 3.0 weight %, about 1.3 weight % to about 2.9weight %, about 1.4 weight % to about 2.8 weight %, about 1.5 weight %to about 2.7 weight %, about 1.6 weight % to about 2.6 weight %, about1.7 weight % to about 2.5 weight %, about 1.8 weight % to about 2.4weight %, about 1.9 weight % to about 2.3 weight %, or about 2.0 weight% to about 2.2 weight %. In a typical implementation, the amount of thethickening system and/or the thickeners thereof present in the oral carecomposition may be from about 1.0 weight % to about 2.0 weight %, moretypically about 1.2 weight % to about 1.8 weight %, and more typicallyabout 1.5 weight %.

pH Modifying Agents

The oral care product or the oral care composition or a componentthereof may include one or more pH modifying agents. For example, theoral care composition may include one or more acidifying agents and/orone or more basifying agents configured to reduce and/or increase the pHthereof, respectively. Illustrative acidifying agents and/or one or morebasifying agents may be or include, but are not limited to, an alkalimetal hydroxide, such as sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide,citric acid, hydrochloric acid, or the like, or combinations thereof.

The oral care composition or a component thereof may also include one ormore buffering agents configured to control or modulate the pH within apredetermined or desired range. Illustrative buffering agents mayinclude, but are not limited to, sodium bicarbonate, sodium phosphate,sodium carbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium citrates andmixtures thereof. Sodium phosphate may include monosodium phosphate(NaH₂PO₄). disodium phosphate (Na₂HPO₄), trisodium phosphate (Na₃PO₄),and mixtures thereof. In a typical implementation, the buffering agentmay be anhydrous sodium phosphate dibasic or disodium phosphate and/orsodium phosphate monobasic. In another implementation, the bufferingagent includes anhydrous sodium phosphate dibasic or disodium phosphate,and phosphoric acid (e.g., syrupy phosphoric acid; 85%-Food Grade).

In at least one implementation, the acidifying, buffering, and/orbuffering agents may be included in the oral care composition or acomponent thereof to provide a generally neutral pH or an orallyacceptable pH range. In another implementation, the acidifying,buffering, and/or buffering agents may be included in the oral carecomposition or a component thereof (e.g., hydrophobic and/or hydrophilicphases) with a pH between 2 to 10, 2 to 8, 3 to 9, 4 to 8, 6 to 10, or 7to 9. Any additional orally acceptable pH modifying agent may be used,including without limitation carboxylic, phosphoric, and sulfonic acids,acid salts (e.g., monosodium citrate, disodium citrate, monosodiummalate, etc.), alkali metal hydroxides, such as sodium hydroxide,carbonates, such as sodium carbonate, bicarbonates, sesquicarbonates,borates, silicates, phosphates (e.g., monosodium phosphate, trisodiumphosphate, pyrophosphate salts, etc.), imidazole and mixtures thereof.The one or more pH modifying agents may be optionally present in anamount effective to maintain the oral care composition or a componentthereof in an orally acceptable pH range.

Flavoring Agents

The oral care product and/or the oral care composition thereof may alsoinclude one or more flavoring agents. Illustrative flavoring agents mayinclude, but are not limited to, essential oils and various flavoringaldehydes, esters, alcohols, or the like. The flavoring agents may alsoinclude, but are not limited to, sweeteners, sucralose, dextrose,polydextrose, sucrose, maltose, dextrin, dried invert sugar, mannose,xylose, ribose, fructose, levulose, galactose, corn syrup (includinghigh fructose corn syrup and corn syrup solids), partially hydrolyzedstarch, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol,maltitol, isomalt, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and salts thereof(e.g., sodium saccharin), dipeptide-based intense sweeteners,cyclamates, dihydrochalcones and mixtures thereof. Examples of theessential oils include oils of spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen,sassafras, clove, sage, eucalyptus, marjoram, cinnamon, lemon, lime,grapefruit, and orange. In another example, the flavoring agents mayinclude menthol, carvone, and anethole. In a typical implementation, theflavoring agent includes peppermint and spearmint. In a more typicalimplementation, the flavoring agent includes a Firmenich Newman Flavor.The amount of the flavoring agent in the oral care product and/or theoral care composition thereof may be less than 1.0 wt %, less than 0.9wt %, less than 0.8 wt %, or less than 0.7 wt %. For example, the amountof the flavoring agent in the oral care product and/or the oral carecomposition thereof may be about 0.0 wt % to about 1.0 wt %, about 0.5wt % to about 0.9 wt %, about 0.7 wt % to about 0.8 wt %. In a typicalimplementation, the amount of the flavoring agent in the oral careproduct and/or the oral care composition thereof is about 0.55 wt % toabout 0.70 wt %.

Additional Ingredients

It should be appreciated to one having ordinary skill in the art, thatthe oral care products and/or the oral care composition thereof mayinclude other additional ingredients/components. For example, the oralcare products and/or the oral care composition thereof may include anyone or more of anti-caries agents, desensitizing agents, viscositymodifiers, diluents, pH modifying agents, humectants, mouth feel agents,sweetening agents, flavor agents, colorants, preservatives, or the like,or combinations and mixtures thereof. It should further be appreciatedby one having ordinary skill in the art that while general attributes ofeach of the above categories of materials may differ, there may be somecommon attributes and any given material may serve multiple purposeswithin two or more of such categories of materials.

In at least one implementation, the additional ingredients/componentsmay include one or more active materials configured to prevent and/ortreat one or more conditions and/or disorders of the oral cavity. Forexample, the one or more active materials may be configured to preventand/or treat one or more conditions and/or disorders of hard and/or softtissue of the oral cavity, such as dentinal hypersensitivity. The activematerials may also be configured to prevent and/or treat one or morephysiological disorders and/or conditions, and/or provide a cosmeticbenefit to the oral cavity.

In at least one implementation, the oral care products or the oral carecomposition thereof may include an anticalculus agent. Illustrativeanticalculus agents may include, but are not limited to, phosphates andpolyphosphates (e.g., pyrophosphates), polyaminopropanesulfonic acid(AMPS), hexametaphosphate salts, zinc citrate trihydrate, polypeptides,polyolefin sulfonates, polyolefin phosphates, diphosphonates. In atypical implementation, the anticalculus agent includes tetrasodiumpyrophosphate (TSPP), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), or a combinationthereof.

The oral care products or the oral care composition thereof may includean antioxidant. Any orally acceptable antioxidant may be used,including, but not limited to, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHT), vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamin E, flavonoids,polyphenols, ascorbic acid, herbal antioxidants, chlorophyll, melatonin,or the like, or combinations and mixtures thereof.

The oral care composition may include zinc. The zinc of the oral carecomposition may be or include a zinc ion and/or one or more zinc salts.For example, the zinc salts may at least partially dissociate in anaqueous solution to produce zinc ions. Illustrative zinc salts mayinclude, but are not limited to, zinc lactate, zinc oxide, zincchloride, zinc phosphate, zinc citrate, zinc acetate, zinc borate, zincbutyrate, zinc carbonate, zinc formate, zinc gluconate, zinc glycerate,zinc glycolate, zinc oxide, zinc phosphate, zinc picolinate, zincproprionate, zinc salicylate, zinc silicate, zinc stearate, zinctartrate, zinc undecylenate, and mixtures thereof. In a preferredembodiment, the zinc salt is zinc lactate.

The oral care composition may include one or more pigments, such aswhitening pigments. In some implementations, the whitening pigmentsinclude particles ranging in size from about 0.1 μm to about 10 μm witha refractive index greater than about 1.2. Suitable whitening agentsinclude, without limitation, titanium dioxide particles, zinc oxideparticles, aluminum oxide particles, tin oxide particles, calcium oxideparticles, magnesium oxide particles, barium oxide particles, silicaparticles, zirconium silicate particles, mica particles, talc particles,tetracalcium phosphate particles, amorphous calcium phosphate particles,alpha-tricalcium phosphate particles, beta-tricalcium phosphateparticles, hydroxylapatite particles, calcium carbonate particles, zincphosphate particles, silicon dioxide particles, zirconium silicateparticles, or the like, or mixtures and combinations thereof. Thewhitening pigment, such as titanium dioxide particles, may be present inan amount that is sufficient to whiten the teeth.

Methods

The present disclosure may provide methods for treating dentinalhypersensitivity and/or cleaning teeth in a human or animal subject withan oral care product and/or the oral care composition thereof. As usedherein “animal subject” may include higher order non-human mammals suchas canines, felines, and horses. The method may include contacting theoral care product and/or the oral care composition thereof with water.The method may also include contacting the surface of the teeth with theoral care product and/or the oral care composition thereof. Contactingthe surface of the teeth with the oral care product and/or the oral carecomposition thereof may include disposing the oral care composition(e.g., toothpaste) on a toothbrush and brushing the teeth with thetoothbrush.

The oral care product and/or the oral care composition thereof may beapplied and/or contacted with the surfaces of the teeth at predeterminedintervals. For example, a daily basis, at least once a day, twice a day,or more, for multiple days, or alternatively every other day. In anotherexample, the oral care product and/or the whitening composition thereofmay be applied and/or contacted with the surfaces of the teeth at leastonce a day, at least once every two days, at least once every threedays, at least once every five days, at least once a week, at least onceevery two weeks, or at least once a month. The oral care product and/orthe oral care composition thereof may be utilized for up to 2 weeks, upto 3 weeks, up to 4 weeks, up to 6 weeks, up to 8 weeks, or greater.

The present disclosure may also provide methods for preparing oral carecompositions having increased foam generation as compared toconventional oral care compositions. The method may include combining orcontacting an orally acceptable vehicle with at least two surfactants,including an anionic surfactant and a nonionic surfactant, where theanionic surfactant includes a C8-C16 fatty acid glutamate salt or aminoacid surfactants, such as a cocoyl glutamate salt, particularly sodiumcocoyl glutamate, and where the nonionic surfactant includes an alkylpolyglucosides, such as a C8-C16 alkyl polyglucoside. The method mayfurther include combining the orally acceptable vehicle, the anionicsurfactant, and the nonionic surfactant with one or more amino acids andone or more abrasives. For example, the method may include combining theorally acceptable vehicle, the anionic surfactant, and the nonionicsurfactant with arginine or a source of arginine and calcium carbonate.

All ingredients for use in the compositions described herein should beorally acceptable. As used herein, “orally acceptable” may refer anyingredient that is present in a composition as described in an amountand form which does not render the composition unsafe for use in theoral cavity.

EXAMPLES

The examples and other implementations described herein are exemplaryand not intended to be limiting in describing the full scope ofcompositions and methods of this disclosure. Equivalent changes,modifications and variations of specific implementations, materials,compositions and methods may be made within the scope of the presentdisclosure, with substantially similar results.

Example 1

The efficacy of varying oral care compositions for producing foam wasevaluated. Particularly, a control toothpaste composition (C) and fiveexemplary or test toothpaste compositions (1)-(5) were prepared bycombining the ingredients/components of a base toothpaste compositionindicated in Table 1, with the respective surfactant(s) indicated inTable 2. The components were mixed for about 10 minutes under mechanicalstirring to prepare each of the toothpaste compositions (C) and (1)-(5).

TABLE 1 Base Toothpaste Composition INGREDIENT/COMPONENT Concentration(Weight %) Sorbitol - non-crystal - 70% solution 23.0% EP Purified water10.0% Benzyl Alcohol 0.7% Arginine Bicarbonate solution 40.8% 19.6%Sodium Monofluorophosphate 1.1% Tetrasodium pyrophosphate 0.5% SodiumBicarbonate 0.5% Precipitated calcium carbonate - 10.0% MediumAbsorption Precipitated calcium carbonate - 25.0% High Absorption ZincOxide (ZnO) 1.0% Zinc Citrate 0.5% Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) 0.5%Excipients Balance

TABLE 2 Surfactant(s) Added to Base Toothpaste Composition to PrepareControl Toothpaste Composition © and Exemplary Toothpaste Compositions(1)-(6) SURFACTANTS (C) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) 29% Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) 4.9 — — — — — (g) 65% Alkyl Polyglucoside-08/10 — 2.2 — 1.5 0.7 —(g) 50% Alkyl Polyglucoside-12/14 — — — — — 2.8 (g) 43% Sodium CocylGlutamate — — 3.3 1.1 2.2 — (g) Total Concentration of Surfactants 1.51.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 (weight %)

To evaluate the efficacy for producing foam, a Krüss Dynamic FoamAnalyzer (DFA100), commercially available from Krüss GmbH of Hamburg,Germany, was utilized. The Krüss Dynamic Foam Analyzer was adjustedaccording to the parameters/testing conditions indicated in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Parameters of Krüss Dynamic Foam Analyzer PARAMETER TESTINGCONDITION Sample Concentration 30% Stirring Speed 5,000 RPM OscillationIntervals 6 sec Foam Time 60 sec Delay Time 450 sec

The results of the foam generation are summarized in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Summary of Foam Generation in Control Toothpaste Composition (C)and Exemplary Toothpaste Compositions (l)-(6) Maximum Foam Volume SampleActive Foaming Agent (mL) (C) 1.5% Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) 86.1 (1)1.5% Alkyl Polyglucoside C8-C10 111.2 (2) 1.5% Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate107.0 (3) 1% Alkyl Polyglucoside C8-C10 + 125.4 0.5% Sodium CocoylGlutamate (4) 0.5% Alkyl Polyglucoside C8-C10 + 117.0 1% Sodium CocoylGlutamate (5) 1.5% Alkyl Polyglucoside C12-C14 72.6

As indicated in Table 4, the combination of the glutamate surfactant,particularly, sodium cocoyl glutamate, and the alkyl polyglucosidesurfactant surprisingly and unexpectedly exhibited synergistic or morethan additive foaming as compared to each of the surfactants alone.Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the nonionicstructure of the glucoside surfactant and the negatively chargedstructure of the glutamate surfactant may contribute to the synergisticresults. Particularly, it is believed that the nonionic structure of theglucoside surfactant and the negatively charged structure of theglutamate surfactant prevents interactions therebetween, therebyincreasing the foaming in the toothpaste formulation.

As also indicated in Table 4, providing relatively greater amounts ofthe nonionic polyglucoside surfactant to the anionic glutamatesurfactant, as represented by test toothpaste compositions (3),surprisingly and unexpectedly produced more foam as compared testtoothpaste compositions (4), which included relatively greater amountsof the anionic glutamate surfactant. Accordingly, it was surprisinglyand unexpectedly discovered that increased amounts or ratios of thenonionic surfactant relative to the anionic surfactant provides improvedfoaming.

As further indicated in Table 4, short carbon chain polyglucosides, asrepresented by test toothpaste composition (1) produced relativelyincreased amounts of foam as compared to toothpaste compositions (5),which included longer carbon chain polyglucosides, and the controltoothpaste composition (C), which included SLS alone.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplaryimplementations. Although a limited number of implementations have beenshown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat changes may be made in these implementations without departing fromthe principles and spirit of the preceding detailed description. It isintended that the present disclosure be construed as including all suchmodifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope ofthe appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An oral care composition, comprising: an orallyacceptable vehicle; an anionic surfactant comprising a C6-C18 fatty acidglutamate or a salt thereof; and a nonionic surfactant comprising aC6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside, wherein a weight ratio of the nonionicsurfactant to the anionic surfactant is from about 0.25:1 to about 9:1,optionally about 1.8:1 to about 2.2:1.
 2. The oral care composition ofclaim 1, wherein the C6-C18 fatty acid glutamate or the salt thereofcomprises a cocoyl glutamate salt, optionally, the cocoyl glutamate saltis a sodium cocoyl glutamate.
 3. The oral care composition of claim 1,wherein the C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside comprises a short chain alkylpolyglucoside, optionally, the short chain alkyl polyglucoside comprisesa C6-C10 alkyl polyglucoside.
 4. The oral care composition of claim 1,wherein the C6-C18 alkyl polyglucoside comprises a long chain alkylpolyglucoside, optionally, the long chain alkyl polyglucoside comprisesa C11-C18 alkyl polyglucoside.
 5. The oral care composition of claim 1,further comprising an amino acid.
 6. The oral care composition of claim5, wherein the amino acid comprises one or more of arginine, lysine,citrulline, ornithine, creatine, histidine, diaminobutanoic acid,diaminoproprionic acid, salts thereof, or combinations thereof.
 7. Theoral care composition of claim 5, wherein the amino acid comprisesarginine, optionally, the arginine is provided by arginine bicarbonate,further optionally, the arginine is provided by an arginine bicarbonatesolution.
 8. The oral care composition of claim 1, further comprising anabrasive.
 9. The oral care composition of claim 8, wherein the abrasivecomprises one or more of sodium metaphosphate, potassium metaphosphate,calcium pyrophosphate, magnesium orthophosphate, trimagnesiumorthophosphate, tricalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate,anhydrous dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate,hydrated alumina, silica, zirconium silicate, aluminum silicate,calcined aluminum silicate, polymethyl methacrylate, or combinationsthereof.
 10. The oral care composition of claim 8, wherein the abrasivecomprises calcium carbonate, optionally, the calcium carbonate comprisesnatural calcium carbonate or precipitated calcium carbonate.
 11. Theoral care composition of claim 1, wherein the oral care composition issubstantially free of alkyl sulfate salts, optionally the alkyl sulfatesalts comprises sodium lauryl sulfate.
 12. The oral care composition ofclaim 1, wherein the oral care composition is a toothpaste.
 13. A methodfor preparing the oral care composition of claim 1, comprisingcontacting the orally acceptable vehicle, the anionic surfactant, andthe nonionic surfactant with one another.
 14. A method for treatingdentinal hypersensitivity in a human, the method comprising contactingthe oral care composition of claim 1 with surfaces of teeth of thehuman.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising contacting theoral care composition with surfaces of the teeth of the human at leastonce a day, optionally, twice a day.